Canadian developer and manufacturer of hydrogen generation and hydrogen-based power modules Hydrogenics has acquired a major energy storage R&D and demonstration project in Europe, christened Don Quichote.

The European Commission provided €2.86m funding for the said project under the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen joint undertaking.

The project will employ a 350 bar electrochemical compressor, a 30Nm3 PEM electrolyzer system and a 90 kW fuel cell system to demonstrate the technical and economical viability of an integrated hydrogen storage system for renewable electricity connected to a hydrogen refueling facility.

A consortium of European companies will design, build, deploy and operate the system at the Colruyt site near Brussels to increase the capacity of the existing 350 bar fueling station to 130 kilograms per day and install a fuel cell system for electricity demand leveling.

Hydrogenics president and chief executive officer Daryl Wilson remarked that the commission has invested in the hydrogen technology to solve utility-scale energy storage and transport issues and the innovative technologies at the project will enable renewable power generation across the world.